The son of Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese national and US permanent resident detained in Iran, testified in front of the US House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, on behalf of his family to push for his father’s unconditional release.
Tuesday marked the 30th day of Nizar Zakka’s hunger strike, which led to his hospitalization last week. Zakka has undertaken four previous hunger strikes since he was arrested in Tehran in September 2015 after attending a state-sponsored conference entitled “Women in Sustainable Development, Entrepreneurship and Employment.”
He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for spying on behalf of the US following a closed-door trial in September 2016.
“Thank you for defending human rights as well as paying attention to my father’s plight,” Omar Zakka, 19, said in his speech.
“My dad said he would rather die for his cause than live in injustice,” Zakka said. “He won’t be forced to do things against his will, including signing forced confessions.”
“I plead with you the American people. The people from our ancestral homeland, Lebanon, please do not let my father die in Iran,” Omar Zakka said.
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